Review of Delicatessen (1991) by Michael C — 23 Jul 2009

How you can you not love a zany, bizarre black comedy that searches for humor in everything from cannibalism and suicide to bed springs and a musical saw? French cinema to me can be a little overrated at times (for example, see Jean-Luc Godard), but Juenet is like a diabolical and viciously amusing French counterpart to Terry Gilliam, and after seeing two of his films I would even argue his talents might even exceed that of Gilliam's.

This story of a butcher who owns series of apartments in which he often cooks and serves the tenants may sound like a pale imitation of the Sweeney Todd story, but trust me, this tale is bursting at the seams with originality.

There are several comic touches that should certainly be mentioned. One of the centerpieces of the film involves a squeaky bedspring that has a rhythm which ultimately details the action within the rest of the house, some mundane, some bawdy, but almost all of it very humorous.

Another recurring moment in the film is a well-to-do woman who repeatedly attempts to take her own life, but the over-the-top elaborate way she attempts to do so is a riot each time, and gets progressively funnier.

And one thing I am noticing about Juenet is his mastery of color and setting. The building that all of this action occurs in is SO foreboding it is highly comical; it appears like a post-apocalyptic factory on the South side of Hell, with large puddles of filthy water, rodents and frogs scurrying about, and basically grime at every corner.

The clueless nature of the hero makes the setting even funnier, because frankly, HOW COULD he feel so confident he was in no danger in this place? And the color? Though its not as beautiful as his next film Amelie, this is still more beautiful than it has any right to be considering the material, and yet even in its construction the color palette still fits the material.

There was a side-story with an organization called the Onion Snipers, militant figures with a fixation on corn, that I thought easily could have been cut out, and wasn't my favorite part of the film by far.

But Juenet is a mad genius, and if can create nightmarish delights that are as amusing as they are disturbing, I can easily forgive that one oversight. Black comedy is usually too timid or tame in most efforts on film, but this one is a sheer delight.